Corona Virus Update

KNEPP WILDLAND SAFARIS AND CAMPINGCORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) STATEMENT

Last updated on May 25th 2020

Dear Campers and Visitors,

Please read the information below carefully as it contains an important update about your booking.

In this time of upheaval and isolation we know there is nothing more valuable and restorative than access to nature. Sadly, following government guidelines our only course of action is to further delay opening the campsite and this season’s safaris. Along with other campsites and tourism ventures we must obey instructions from government to avoid all unessential gatherings in order to protect NHS resources by slowing the spread of Covid-19.

Though we know this is the best and only course of action remaining closed is a great sadness to us and will be a heavy blow to the business, as it is for businesses across the country. We will be doing our utmost to try and keep the positions of our permanent staff secure, and support our self-employed safari guides and campsite staff - many of whom you will already have met if you have previously visited us at Knepp – in any way we can. It is our fervent hope that we will be able to open before the season is out and provide you with wonderful experiences and wildlife encounters again, and a chance to restore your batteries after this gruelling time.

In order to keep up with changing circumstances we will take two weeks at a time and contact you in the weeks before your scheduled visit if we need to cancel. The sheer volume of admin this entails is jaw-dropping so we would be grateful if you did not contact us but instead wait for us to email you. Your patience and understanding while we try to manage this task is hugely appreciated.

Much of our conservation work at Knepp depends on revenues from the campsite and safaris. If you love what we do, any support you can give us now will help us keep the show on the road. We are extremely grateful to all who have been so kind as to donate so far. We would be grateful if you would consider the options below.

Bookings

Following government guidelines, we are hoping to open with social distancing measures in place on Saturday 4th July. We are cancelling all stays and safaris before this date. If your booking intersects the 4th July weekend, we will be in touch soon to discuss your options.

As you can imagine this will be a massive administrative task and so we are dealing with two weeks at a time. We will be contacting you at least one week before your booking date. Please be patient with us.

You have the following options:

1. Receive a full refund for your booking.

2. Consider putting your refund towards the rewilding project.

This way we can redeploy the guides from cancelled safaris in important on-going survey work within the rewilding project and continue our beaver and white stork reintroduction programmes. The price of a Half-day Safari (£50), for example, covers food for 20 storks for a week. A stay in a tree house for a weekend would pay for a third of the cost of a beaver - we hope to be introducing two pairs to the rewilding project by the end of the year. A weekend stay in a shepherd’s hut pays for 50m of beaver-proof fence. A place on a Rewilding Workshop would pay for a day of habitat mapping in the beaver release area. And the equivalent of a Nightingale Safari would pay for one of our ecologist safari guides to carry out a nightingale survey instead.

3. Consider receiving a partial refund - at your discretion - with the remainder as a donation to Knepp Wildland Safaris.

4. Exchange your safari fee to attend one of our virtual workshops.

Bookings from 4th July onwards

Bookings for this period are currently subject to our usual Terms and Conditions. Please keep an eye on the website for updates.

The Knepp Wildland Shop

Our shop is open to help people in the local area stock up on essentials.